2024 Olympics: If it’s Boston, Then it’s New Bedford

The 2016 Summer Olympics will be in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil and the 2020 Games will be in Tokyo, Japan. The International Olympic Committee is in the process of selecting the 2024 venue, but if the Boston bid for the Games is successful, the sailing events will be held on Buzzards Bay in New Bedford, MA.

Following extensive collaboration with community groups, elected officials and other key stakeholders, Boston 2024 is developing the next phase of its Games Concept, which includes venues plans, like New Bedford, that reflect significant input from throughout the city and state.

South of Boston, 90 minutes by car, Buzzards Bay’s wind resource has long been recognized in the sailing community, noted by their annual Buzzard Bay Regatta, the largest multi-class regatta in the United States. New Bedford’s Fort Taber would serve both as a viewing area for spectators and the location for medal ceremonies.

To host the sailing events, all venues must meet a comprehensive set of criteria, including meeting the technical requirements outlined by each sport’s National Governing Body and International Federation. For Boston 2024, the selection of venues is also influenced by the potential for the Games to create long-term benefits for the communities where events are hosted.

Situated in the geographic center of Buzzards Bay, New Bedford, with its historic Fort Taber and surrounding park grounds, extends well into the Bay and offers spectacular access to the water. With a proud maritime history as the global center of the 19th century whaling industry, and today the home of the nation’s top commercial fishing fleet, the City’s story is a compelling maritime backdrop to Olympic sailing competition that will draw visitors and athletes from across the globe.

“The New Bedford venue also offers an incredible opportunity for fan-athlete interaction and spectating that will set a new standard for Olympic sailing,” said Jack Gierhart, Executive Director of US Sailing. “The Olympics in New Bedford will be incredible, and equally important, the legacy left behind with improved facilities, increased public awareness and access will be a huge benefit for sailing in the U.S.”

As Boston 2024 shifts its planning from a preliminary “proof of concept” submitted to the U.S. Olympic Committee in 2014 to a broader Games Concept that reflects detailed analysis and community feedback, the organization plans to announce additional venue hosts over the next several weeks. This is a natural evolution in a multi-step, multi-year bid process that culminates in the selection in the summer of 2017 of the 2024 host city by members of the International Olympic Committee.

For more information about New Bedford serving as the venue for the sailing events, please see this fact sheet.

Source: US Sailing